Seasons of Love
by Forlay
Summary: Over the last year of the fight, some changes happen.


#  Seasons of Love

##  By: Forlay

###  Winter

It was a cold January afternoon. School was still out for Christmas break. I was in my room, looking up some websites when I heard a knock at my window. I didn't even need their creator to identify himself, it was Tobias.   
I opened the window and let him in as fast as I could. "What's up?" I asked while rubbing my hands together to warm them up after touching the cold glass.   
Hey, there's not much for a red tailed hawk to do in the middle of winter. It's freezing out in the woods, and hardly any prey, so I decided to come over and take advantage of Central Heating. That alright with you? >   
I laughed, "Sure, why not?"   
What's up with you? >   
I shrugged, "Nothing much to do here, either. Mom's out with Sara and Jordan, we aren't planning anything with the Yeerks, so I'm sitting here surfing the 'net. A normal, boringly average day."   
Yeah, they've been quiet for awhile now. >   
"They haven't done anything since Christmas Eve. Think Visser Three's on holiday break?"   
I wish. >   
"What should we do about it?" I asked with a grin.   
Let's go check out some Controllers. >   
"Cool." I quickly scribbled a note to my mom saying I was at the mall and not to expect me back untill late. I'm 17, but she still gets worried about me.   
Once that was done, I opened my window again and shuddered in the blast of cold air. I started concentrating on my bald eagle morph. It wouldn't be much warmer, but at least I'd be moving.   
The familiar changes completed themselves quickly. The more you morph an animal, the less time it takes for the morph to finish.   
Tobias and I flapped out the window into the cold winter air. There weren't any thermals so we had to flap the entire time untill we managed to catch a tiny thermal off a busy road.   
Hey, what's going on at Chapman's? > Tobias asked.   
I don't know, > I said. Melissa didn't say anything was happening there this weekend. I though her family was out of town visiting relatives. >   
Should we check it out? > He asked, knowing my answer.   
Of course! Let's do it! >   
There was a large oak tree outside of the Chapman's living room window. We each landed on a branch and looked in through the window.   
Inside, Chapman was talking to about 20 people, over half of whom we identified as Controllers.   
Party time for Yeerks, > Tobias said dryly.   
Yeah. We need to get in there and find out what he's saying, > I said.   
What as? >   
A bug, > I said with a shudder. Fly or cockroach, take your pick. >   
He didn't want to morph an insect anymore than I did, but we agreed on morphing flies to get in.   
Once we had morphed, we flew in our wild fly way under the Chapman's door, which hadn't been closed all the way, and found our way into the living room. Tobias landed on an end table, I landed on the mantle behind Chapman.   
"Sensors on the Blade Ship show that there is a large Andalite fleet on a direct course here. The fleet is large enough to take out the Blade ship, Pool Ship and all our fighters. With our current forces, there's no way we can hope to fight them. Visser Three has ordered that we start taking as many humans as we can to bulk up our forces. The fleet will be here in four Earth weeks. It will take the nearest Yeerk ships twice that long to assist us."   
Whoa, > Tobias said.   
Yeah. Major 'whoa', > I agreed. Come on. We need to tell the others. > We flew out of the house to a shed behind it where we demorphed and, in my case, morphed back to bald eagle.   
Once morphed, I powered myself up into the air behind Tobias.   
You go tell Jake and Marco, > I told him. I'll go get Ax and Cassie. Meet at the barn. >   
Meet ya' there, > He continued going straight to reach Jake and Marco. I turned right towards the forest and Cassie's.   
Hey, Ax, > I said once I saw him running through the forest.   
Hello, Rachel. What is it? > he asked, his stalk eyes pointed up to me.   
Morph human and meet at Cassie's. Tobias and I have big news. > I kept flying towards Cassie's and landed in the barn where I demorphed.   
As I was nearly human, Cassie walked in.   
"Geez, Rachel! You nearly gave me a heart attack! What are you doing here?" She asked.   
"Sorry, Cassie. Tobias and I found out something big, the others should be here soon."   
As if on cue, Tobias flew in and perched on the rafters. followed by Jake and Marco in their bird of prey morphs. As they were demorphing, Ax stumbled in in his disturbing human morph.   
"So why are we here in horrendous spandex outfits in the middle of winter?" Marco complained in his bike shorts and tight tee shirt.   
"Tobias and I went out spying on Chapman today--"   
"You two went out spying alone?" Jake interupted me.   
"Yes, _Dad_, we did. Is there a problem with that? Good," I said without letting him answer. "As I was saying, Chapman was having this meeting at his place with about 20 people, more than half of them we identified as Controllers. The rest were,too, we found out."   
We morphed fly to get inside, > Tobias continued. Chapman was talking. Saying that a huge Andalite fleet will be here in about four weeks. >   
"No way," Cassie said softly.   
"Yes way," I said. "And, unfortunatly, Visser Three has decided that he doesn't have enough human controllers to fight the Andalites, so current Controllers are going to start grabbing people whenever they can."   
And in about eight weeks, Yeerk reinforecements will be here, > Tobias added.   
"Damn," Jake cursed. "I knew they had to be up to something."   
"Are they going to be grabbing people off the street?" Marco asked.   
I shrugged. "Maybe. Probably. That's what I'd do if I needed to get a lot of controllers in a short ammount of time. Just get a group of Controllers together and you can take anyone." I looked at Ax for another suggestion. He shook his head.   
"I do not know-ow. This is the first such attempt I've heard of. Vv. V."   
"We'll have to stick together then," Cassie said. "We can't be out by ourselves. It shouldn't be too suspicious if we're seen together. Jake and I have been going out for awhile, Rachel and Jake are cousins, there's connections."   
"Well, if we're finished really depressing me, can I go home?" Marco complained, "I'm cold."   
"That would probably be because it's January," I told him.   
"Ha ha," was his best response.   
Fine, Marco, you can go, > Tobias said. We wouldn't want you to freeze. >   
"Thank you," Marco said, looking up at Tobias. "At least someone understands the necesity of heat." He started morphing osprey.   
Hold on, Marco. Cassie's dad is coming in, > Tobias warned. Marco quickly reversed the morph.   
"Hi, Dad!" Cassie greeted cheerfully.   
"Huh? oh, hi, Cass. Hi everyone," he replied, but sounded preoccupied.   
Cassie caught on to how her dad sounded, "Everything alright?"   
"Yeah, yeah. Just came in to check on things, but you seem to have everything under control. I'll talk to you later."   
"Yeah...bye, Dad," Cassie said, sounding troubled.   
Once her dad left the barn, she sat down suddenly on a hay bale and put her head in her hands.   
"Cassie? What's wrong?" I asked, sitting down next to her.   
"They've already started. They must have gotten my dad!" she managed to choke out.   
I put an arm around her and looked to the others for help. I'm not used to comorting people.   
"He'll probably take Mom next, then they'll both try to get me!" She was sounding panicked now.   
"Want to spend some time at my house? Stay there for awhile?" I offered. She sniffed and nodded. "Why don't you go in and grab some stuff, then we can go to my house." She nodded again and went inside.   
"Call me when she gets settled," Jake said. I nodded. He and Marco started to morph once Tobias verified it was clear. Then he and Ax left, leaving me in the barn in shock. I'd never seen anybody fall apart so suddenly.   
Five minutes later, Cassie was back with a backpack filled with things she would need.   
"We can take my car," she offered. "It's too far to walk." She led the way from the barn to her driveway where her '98 gold Saturn was parked.   
The drive to my house was only about five minutes. When we got there, Mom, Sara and Jordan were back.   
"Hi, Rachel. Hi, Cassie," Mom greeted as we walked in the kitchen.   
"Hi, Mom," I said. "Mind if Cassie stays here for a few days?"   
"As long as it's okay with her parents."   
"Cool," I said. "C'mon, Cassie. I'll set up the guest room for you."   
"thanks alot, Rachel," Cassie said once we'd finished setting up the room.   
"For what?" I asked. "Doing what best friends do?"   
She smiled, "Yeah, that and...I don't know. I guess I over reacted back there. It just sort of freaked me out."   
"Hey, it's understandable. I'd have reacted the same way."   
"Yeah, right."   
"Hey, Rachel!" Sara said, bounding into the room.   
"What's up, Sara?"   
"Mom signed Jordan and I up for this cool club today, 'The Sharing', and she says you have to drive us to a few meetings."   
It took all my self-control to keep the horror off my face at that news. "Umm...maybe I'll be able to," I stammered. "But, you know, I'm a Senior this year, which means more responsibilities and stuff."   
"Mom says you have to," she told me defiantly.   
"And I say I'm nearly an adult who has a life. I'll take you when I can. Now, can Cassie and I resume our conversation?" She made a face at me and left.   
"Oh, my..." I said in a wavering voice. "They've gotten my family, too."   
"It's okay, Rachel," Cassie said gently. "Just sit down a minute."   
I eased myself down onto the bed and took a few deep breaths. "Oh, Jake wanted you to call him," I managed to say.   
"I will in a minute. I know how hard it is. You want something to eat or drink?"   
I laughed, "I'm just in shock, Cassie, not an invalid. Go ahead and call Jake. I'll go to my room so you can have some privacy."   
"You stay right there," she ordered. "This will take two seconds." She picked up the phone and dialed Jake's number.   
"Hi, Jake? Yeah, it's Cassie...I'm fine, just over reacted...Everything's fine here, for the most part...slight crisis, nothing major...She's going to have to drive Sara and Jordan to meetings of The Sharing, they joined today. Which puts a crimp in Rachel's shopping time...I will...yeah...talk to you later...Bye." She hung up.   
"He says he's sorry and knows what both of us are going through right now."   
"Can I just say this sucks?" I asked.   
She laughed slightly, "No argument here. Come on, let's go to a movie or something. Just get out of here." I agreed. She drove us towards the multi-plex at the mall. As we were walking in, we ran into Marco and Jake.   
"What are you two doing here?" I asked.   
Jake looked at us with somber eyes. "The...They've been working fast. They've got our entire families."   
"This is not good," I said.   
"Well there's the understatement of a lifetime," Marco said.   
"Marco, if our parents are Controllers, how long before it's us? tom's been on Jake's case since this all started to join The Sharing, Mom's trying to make me drive Sara and Jordan to meetings. We can't hold out for long. Definetly not the four weeks it's going to take for the A...good guys to get here."   
"We need to get away, and get away now," Jake said.   
"How? None of us are 18, we can't legally move away from our families," Cassie said.   
"Can we find a more crowded place to talk about this?" Marco asked sarcastically.   
Jake led Marco to his car, Cassie and I went to hers. We were going to meet in Tobias's meadow.   
Hey, guys. What's up? > Tobias asked once we were all there.   
"The Yeerks are fast workers," I said bitterly, "They've gotten all our families."   
Shit, > Tobias said. What are you going to do? >   
"That's what we're trying to figure out," Cassie said.   
"Run away?" Marco suggested.   
"One: to where? Two:the Yeerks could figure something was up if the four of us decided to run away suddenly," I said.   
"The best we can do is spend as little time as possible at home," Jake said. "Stay away during the day, spend the night at somebody else's house whenever possible."   
"This just had to happen during the coldest winter in history," Marco grumbled.   
We broke up after that. Marco and Jake to do something, Cassie and I going back to the movies.   
I checked my watch as we were leaving the theatre. Nearly eight.   
"Should we head back to my house or stay out awhile longer?" I asked.   
"Let's stay out as long as we can," Cassie said. "Go home once everyone's asleep, leave before they wake up."   
We did that for the next month. Jake and Marco did the same. We went to movies, hung out at the mall, went to the park, anything to stay away from home.   
One day, Cassie, Jake, Marco and I were hanging in the forest after school when Tobias came diving down from above the trees.   
"What's up, Tobias?" I greeted.   
They're here! > He shouted, excited.   
"Who they?" Marco asked stupidly.   
The British, Marco, who do you think? Come on, they contacted Ax at his scoop, he's got more info there. > He started flying back towards Ax's scoop, the rest of us sprinting after him.   
"Ax! What is it?" Jake asked when we reached his scoop.   
My people have engaged the Yeerks in orbit, > Ax said, barely able to contain his excitement. The fleet is of a medium size, but the Yeerk's pathetic forces can't hold them. Nearly half of the Yeerk's bug fighters have been taken out! >   
"Yes!" I shouted. This was it, this was the end!   
But... >   
But what, Ax-man? > Tobias asked.   
It seems the battle has been picked up on human radar. Your government knows something is going on up there. >   
I shrugged. "So? Even more trouble for the Yeerks."   
Possible. But they're going to step-up their efforts to make controllers of the humans. Possible hold them at gun point, primitive human guns or dracon beams, keeping their targets from trying to get away. > He lowered his head sadly. It will most likely not be safe for you at your homes anymore. >   
"That's what I was thinking."   
We all spun around to see Erek.   
"Ax is right, the Yeerks are grabbing any free human they see and forcing them to become hosts. That's why I've arranged for places for all of you to stay with other Chee."   
I looked at the others, they all looked really depressed. One minute, the Andalites are back and everything is peachy keen, the next we're going to be refugees among androids.   
"Come with me," Erek instructed. "I'm throught to be a Controller, so I'll make it look as if I'm bringing you to the Yeerk Pool to be infested."   
Cassie, Jake, Marco and I walked with Erek. First he led us to my neighborhood, where Marco would be staying. A few streets over, Jake was dropped off, then Cassie a block away.   
"You'll be staying with me, Rachel," Erek said as we walked towards Erek's house.   
"Don't tell Tobias," I joked. Erek laughed.   
I spent the rest of that day and most of the next in Erek's guest room.   
"When will I be getting out of here?" I complained to Erek at lunch. "I need to _do_ something, to be part of this fight."   
"If the Andalites ever bring this fight to Earth, Ax is going to contact them and tell them about what you have been doing," he told me.   
I sighed. That wasn't going to do. This had been the Animorph's fight for five years, I wasn't about to give it up to some full of themselves Andalite fleet.   
A month later, I was still penned up in Erek's house. The only contact I had with the outside world was when Tobias flew by.   
"When are the Yeerks going to be here?" I asked him one night.   
Any day now. And from what I've heard from Ax, it's a big fleet. One and a half times the size of the Andalite fleet already here. >   
"Dammit. And the number of controllers is increasing daily. When are those idiot Andalites gonna make this a ground battle so we can help. I'm going stir crazy in here!"   
He laughed gently. The others are having the same reaction. Even Marco. Nobody likes being hidden. >   
"Come and get me the minute the Andalites bring the fight down here?"   
You're the first on my list. >

###  Spring

The first day of spring, around three in the morning, Tobias started knocking at my window.   
"What?" I asked tiredly, opening the window.   
You wanted to be told when we joined this fight, right? >   
That woke me up. "Hold on a minute, I'll morph owl quick."   
As I concentrated on the image of my owl, my feet split apart into talons. My eyes grew round and large untill they nearly filled my entire head. My arms grew into wings and sprouted feathers. My nose and mouth melted together, pushed out and hardened into a sharp beak.   
I flapped my wings and lifted myself to the windowsill. Let's go! > I pushed myself off. Tobias and I flew off towards where Cassie was staying.   
Animorphs are back in action! Let's go kick Yeerk butt! > I yelled once we'd gotten everyone together. I was just a little hyper.   
Do you know how happy I'd be if just once you'd say, 'Let's plan what we're going to do before we try to get ourselves killed'? >   
Yeah, Marco, I do. But it's not happening any time soon. Let's do it! >   
Ax says we'll be meeting the fleet commander near his scoop, > Tobias directed. We all changed our course slightly so we were heading towards Ax's scoop.   
when we reached the scoop, Ax was talking with a group of three Andalites. We landed and demorphed.   
Ah, Commander Calait, this is the Earth resistance I told you about. Prince Jake, Rachel, Cassie, Marco and Tobias, > He pointed to each of us in turne. This is Command Calait-Ipsillion-Skalan, leader of the attack against the Yeerks, his T.O. Koroth-Litia-Remey and Prince Quinnet-Waydle-Fress. >   
Congratulations are in order for you, > Calait said. I'm sorry we could not meet under more hospitable circumstances, but your help is needed to bring this battle to Earth and to it's end. >   
"What do you need?" Jake asked.   
Commander Calait explained what he needed: Known Yeerk Pool entrances, the best place(s) to make a last stand, and anything else we knew that might be of us.   
We told them of every Pool entrance we knew. And the best place for a final fight: right here in the woods.   
"No Yeerk Pool entrances near here, so reinforcements can't come easily, and we can hide ourselves in the shaddows of the forest," Cassie said.   
Excellent, > Commander Calait said. We shall lure the Yeerks here and the final battle will commence in eight of your hours.   
Noon, > Tobias translated. Fitting. >   
How so? > Commander Calait asked.   
Human tradition, > Ax explained. Shootouts occur at noon. >   
Odd, but it doesn't matter, > Calait said, See you in eight hours. >   
We spent the next eight hours waiting in nervous anticipation. This was one battle that we couldn't plan for at all, which ticked me off. I didn't like feeling so helpless. But how this battle was to begin was up to the Andalites. All we could do was decide our morphs which was pretty much a no brainer. I'd go grizzly, Jake tiger, Marco gorilla, Cassie would morph elephant in case we needed someone big, and Tobias and Ax would be themselves.   
At quarter to twelve, the first Andalite fighters landed in a nearby field. Humans and Aximili! The Yeerks will be here shortly, > a voice told us. The best of luck to you. >   
Rachel, > Tobias said as I started morhing. Just...just in case one of us doesn't make it -- >   
Oh, shut up, > I said, already more bear than human. We'll both make it. >   
Just in case, > he repeated. I need to tell you...I...I love you. >   
If I had been human, I would have smiled at him. I love you too, Tobias. Now let's go kick some Yeerk butt! > I said as a bug fighter landed.   
Everyone ready? > Jake asked. We all were. Let's go! > He sprinted out towards the Hork-Bajir that were exiting the bug fighters. I lumbered behind him, followed by the others.   
I'm not going into the specifics of the battle. I'll just say it was the worst and bloodiest battle I've ever been in. Something snapped during that battle, I became a ruthless killing machine. I didn't even pause to think about all the deaths that were on my hands. I just killed and killed and killed.   
We won that battle, but barely. There were heavy casualties on both sides. A third of the Andalites had been killed, 80% of the Yeerks.   
On the Animorph's side, we were all depressed. Cassie woudn't talk to anybody for nearly two days, and then she seemed to avoid me. Then I didn't realize why, now I see she was scared of my. I wasn't the Rachel she'd known forever, I was something else.   
The next few months there were minor skirmishes. I never thought twice about joining a fight, or even initiating one.   
Then one day in early June, that all changed.

###  Summer

It was early June, I'm not positive on what day it was, I hadn't seen a callendar in months. During a battle, Ax killed Visser Three.   
Something snapped then, too. As I watched the last of the Yeerk ships rise up from Earth's surface to the sky, as I realized it was all over, I remembered all the deaths on my hands. How many creatures I'd killed.   
Just a few days later, the Andalites left, taking Ax with them. Before he left, we attended his promotion ceremony, where he was promoted to Warrior Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill.   
After that, we tried to return to normal lives, but Earth was a wreck. People were rioting in the streets, not being able to control their new found freedom.   
My mom and sisters were gone. Either dead or insane, I hadn't heard from my dad, so I assumed the same for him.   
It was the same for the others. Cassie's mom was dead, although her dad was alright enough to stay at home. Marco didn't know what had happened to his Mom, Visser One, but his dad had gone insane from the freedom and knowledge his wife was a controller. Tom was still alive, but their dad was dead, their mother missing.   
What were we supposed to do? Just go about our lives as if nothing had changed?   
Cassie and Jake moved in together at her house. Marco was living alone in his. I tried tried living in my house, but I couldn't handle it. Too many memories.   
As I was out walking in the woods one day, I found a hurt bird laying on the ground. As I got closer, I saw it was a red tailed hawk.   
I ran towards it, afraid it was Tobias. It wasn't. This bird was bigger than him. If I remembered my science classes right, this one was female. I got an idea. I acquired the bird and quickly morphed it. Normally I would have brought it to Cassie, or called her to come get it, but she and her dad had closed the clinic.   
I flew around for awhile, untill I was near the tw hour limit. I didn't want Tobias convincing me what I was doing was stupid. It probably was, but this Earth was no place for an 18 year old to live alone. Let alone an 18 year old who'd helped cause this madness.   
Tobias? > I called when I neared his meadow.   
Rachel? Where are you? > He asked, perched in a tree.   
I landed next to him, Right here. >   
When did you get that morph? >   
Earlier. >   
How long have you been in it? >   
I don't know. Nearly two hours. >   
WHAT?! > he yelled. Rachel, you can't do this! >   
Why not? I don't have a place here. My family's dead or insane or missing, and remember that battle that began the end? Something changed in me then. From then untill the Yeerks left, I was a killing machine. Not caring who or what I killed. >   
That doesn't mean you should spend the rest of your life as a hawk! >   
Tobias, it's too late now. I"m sure I'm past the limit. I'm a hawk now whether you like it or not. Now you can either accept that or I can live as a hawk alone. Which will it be? >   
He sighed, I gues I'd rather live with you as a hawk than not have you at all. >   
That's what I 'd prefer, too, > I said in a gentle tone.   
Come one, we're going to need to find a bigger territory. Not enough room here for two hawks. >   
Lead the way. >   
We flew towards the mountains and chose a territory not too far from the Hork-Bajir valley. We visited them a few times, but the others had been looking for us there and we didn't want to be found.

###  Fall

We lived the rest of the summer and the begining of fall as hawks. We defneded our territory from other hawks and hunted for prey. I began to understand what Tobias had been going through the first few weeks when he'd been trapped as a hawk. I probably wouldn't have survived if not for Tobias. He made sure part of me remained human.   
As we were settling down for the evening in the larged dead pin tree we roosted in, we were suddenly taken to a blue mist.   
"Shit," Tobias cursed. "This again."   
"What the hell.." then I noticed something, I was speaking! With a mouth! I looked down at myself. My feet were huge talons attatched to long slender human legs. My body was that of a hawk, and I had a red tail behind me. My arms were wings that ended in hands. I brought them to my face, it was mostly hawk, the beak being some weird combination of hard beak and soft mouth. On the top of my head was long blond hair. Tobias looked similar.   
"Why the hell are we here, Ellimist?" Tobias demanded.   
I AM HERE TO RIGHT A WRONG.   
"And just what would that be?" I asked.   
RACHEL: YOU HAVE ALTERED THE TIMELINE. YOU WERE NOT MEANTS TO BE A HAWK. IT WAS TOBIAS WHO WAS TO BECOME A NOTHLIT AGAIN. BOTH OF YOU ARE NEEDED FOR THE CORRECT TIMELINE TO CONTINUE. THE TIMELINE THAT WAS STOPPED WHEN RACHEL MORPHED THE HAWK.   
"What are you going to do about it?" I asked defiantly.   
AS I SAID: I'M HERE TO RIGHT A WRONG. TO RESTORE THE TIMELINE YOU DISCONTINUED.   
I looked at Tobias. Were we going to let him return us to that hell of a life?   
"What will things be like if you return us?" Tobias asked.   
AS THEY WERE BEFORE RACHEL MORPHED THE HAWK, EXCEPT TOBIAS, YOU SHALL BE A HUMAN NOTHLIT, AND YOU SHALL BE THE SAME AGE AS YOUR FRIENDS. THE SITUATION OF THE PEOPLE OF EARTH WILL BE MUCH AS IT IS NOW: MOSTLY CALM, BUT WITH A FEW WIDELY DISPERSED RITOTS. LIVING ACCOMODATIONS WILL BE PROVIDED FOR YOU.   
"Will anyone remember that we've been gone? Or notice that Tobias is suddenly our age?" I asked.   
NO, ONLY YOURSELVES.   
In a flash, I was human once again. Tobias was, too. No longer a 13 year old boy, but an 18 year old handsome young man. We were standing in the living room of a house I didn't recognize, presumably the one the Ellimist promised us.   
There was a knock at the door. I ran over and answered it. It was Cassie and Jake.   
"Hi!" I greeted, surprised. "What are you two doing here?"   
"We came to help you and Tobias get moved in, remember?" Jake said.   
No, not really. "Oh, yeah, duh. Come on in." I stepped back from the door and looked at Tobias. "Moving in," I mouthed to him. He nodded.   
Tobias and I managed to fumble our way through the day without making any major mistakes, although Jake and Cassie were looking at us oddly by the time they left.   
"Well, that wasn't too disasterous," I sighed as I closed the door behind them.   
"Oh, no," Tobias said sarcastically. "Come on, let's see what kind of place the Ellimist fixed us up with.   
We explored the house, it was fairly small. Two bedrooms, one bathroom, a living room and a small kitchen, just the necesities.   
Oh, one slight problem: the second bedroom didn't have a bed. There was one large bed in the other bedrom.   
"I can sleep on the couch, " Tobias offered when we discovered that.   
"No, that's okay, sweet of you to offer, though," I said. "We've been living together as hawks for about four months, sharing the same branch. We're both adults and we both love eachother. We don't need to have sex untill we're both ready.

###  Winter

A month after the Ellimist had returned us to our human forms, Tobias and I got married, but nothing changed between us. I'd felt like I was married to him since we were both hawks.   
When I think over that last year-from when we first heard the Andalites were coming to the Ellimist returning Tobias and I to our human forms, I'm reminded of a song I heard a long time ago. From an old Brodaway musical, Rent.   
_525,600 minutes. 525,000 moments so dear. 525,600 minutes, how do you measure, measure a year? In daylights? In sunsets? In midnights? In cups of coffee? In inches? In miles? In laughter? In strife? In 525,600 minutes, how do you measure a year in the life? How about Love...?_   
_ How do you measure the life of a woman or a man?_   
_In truths that she learned? Or in times that he cried? In the bridges he burned? Or the way that she died?_   
_ It's time now, to sing out, though the story never ends, Let's celebbrate, remember, a year in the life of man!_

It's true, how do you measure a year? At times, I would have thought in strife, others laughter. But the song's write: the only way to measure a year, your life, is in love.

_Author's notes. Yep, another sappy story by me. The song at the end is _Seasons of Love_ from _RENT_.The song is used in a different context here than it is in the show, but it works :-)_

  
  



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